Si Yuanli hurried down from the main seat. The painting, ignited by the mana he had left behind, burst into crimson flames upon the jade table and curled into a ball of blackened ash. Tantai Jin dared not look at it, keeping close behind him and whispering urgently.
"Xiao Chuting? He must have had a hand in this!" Si Yuanli replied in a low voice.
Though his expression remained calm, the exaggerated length of his stride betrayed the unease and disbelief roiling in his heart, At first, I thought it was Xiao Yuansi acting on his own, seizing the opportunity while that old man was in the Northern Sea, with others fanning the flames and forcing a pill refinement... But now it seems Xiao Chuting even schemed against his own juniors! Pit Water's Man On Creek... truly lives up to his name.
For nearly a century, Xiao Chuting's strategies have been flawless. He maneuvered deftly between the Azure Pond Sect and the Golden Feather Sect, and now he is regarded as one of the most formidable experts within the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators... It should never have been thought that he had miscalculated!
Tantai Jin whispered, "Could it be... that Li Ximing is actually the most cunning among the Li family's Four Xis? Playing the fool and feigning weakness all along, just to reach this point?"
Si Yuanli pondered for a moment, then lifted his robe hem and rose upon the wind, shaking his head as he said, "Unlikely. No secrets can be hidden before the Life Divine Ability. Moreover, Heaven's favor is not endless. Li Xizhi and Li Xijun are both extraordinary talents, and I've heard Li Xicheng is a man who gives his very life to his cause. How could there still be another such figure in Li Ximing?
"Xiao Chuting must surely have been involved in the planning of this matter. As for Li Ximing, there is something strange. Either his manifestation was flawed, or the man himself is. Once the Daoist Master returns, I will seek clarification."
He sped toward the Jiutian Pavilion with Tantai Jin in tow. As the celestial pavilion slowly came into view, Si Yuanli swiftly composed himself, a radiant smile spreading across his face as he thought, Fortunately, I have never handled matters clumsily. With the groundwork laid, my demeanor will not seem suspicious. Had there been no preparation beforehand, such eagerness now would have appeared far too fawning and opportunistic.
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"On this day, Zhaojing, Li Ximing of the Moongaze Li Family, has attained the Bright Yang Divine Ability..."
The mighty voice rang out from the great void, brushing against the Heavenly Essence Dao Spirit Formation of the Azure Pond Sect. The formation probed the disturbance, finding only sound and no divine ability, and merely flickered faintly.
The voice then passed through the grand formation, reverberating through the entire Mount Azure Pond range, lingering ethereally until it reached the lofty pavilion standing amidst the clouds.
Ding-dang...
The jade talismans hanging between the towers chimed melodiously as the sound waves brushed against them. On the top floor of Jiutian Pavilion, a middle-aged man in feathered robes lifted his head, staring blankly at the clouds in the sky.
Behind him, a man in black robes wore a grim expression. Several shadow-like serpent tails writhed beneath his cloak, yet he too stood frozen in place, his face marked with even greater disbelief.
"Ximing?"
Li Xizhi listened to the proclamation several times. His brows arched, and a look of astonished disbelief tinged with a faint smile surfaced on his face, as if he were walking in a dream. He paced twice across the pavilion, the silence so deep that the crisp chime of the jade talismans rang clear in his ears.
"Ximing... Daoist Master Zhaojing, Li Ximing?!" He murmured a few words, a faint flush rising to his cheeks. It all felt unreal, and he let out a disbelieving laugh. "While I was still plotting how to protect Zhouwei... my younger brother had already achieved the Purple Mansion Realm..."
Li Wushao stood at his side, the disbelief in his pupils deepening all the more as he thought, Damn it... does this mean I too am now the spirit beast of a Purple Mansion immortal family?
For a moment, Li Xizhi felt invigorated, even laughing twice in a rare loss of composure. His steps turned light as he pushed open the pavilion window, gazing out at several streaks of light rushing swiftly toward him from afar.
As the proclamation spread across much of Yue State, Li Xizhi felt a mysterious warmth rise within his qi sea. The talisman qi of Rainbow Pierce Skyway shimmered more vividly in its tricolored brilliance, glowing with dazzling light.
Rainbow Pierce Skyway has risen to a higher level! thought Li Xizhi.
Li Xizhi paused briefly, then immediately understood.
The blessing of Rainbow Pierce Skyway was bound to one's identity and status. With the news of Li Ximing's breakthrough to the Purple Mansion Realm spreading, his elder brother Li Xizhi, one of the Three Xis of the Li family, found his own standing rising in tandem. It was distinctly higher than before!
I've truly benefited from this! thought Li Xizhi with joy.
Li Xizhi chuckled with delight, when suddenly the pavilion doors were knocked open. A young man hurried in, wearing an exquisite jade coronet, clad in silver-white attire that had a magnificent crimson brocade robe trailing behind.
He stepped forward, brimming with joy, and clasped his hands in salute, "Congratulations, Master! Congratulations, Master! Daoist Master Zhaojing has successfully refined a divine ability!"
After offering his string of congratulations, he turned with a smile to Li Wushao and said, "I greet the Dharma Protector!"
Li Wushao had always cultivated by Li Xizhi's side, while the more advanced Li Qiyun[1] had gone to guard the spirit jade mines of the Helin Mountain Range and was not present at the moment.
Li Wushao returned the greeting and noticed another figure standing behind the youth. This man was a head taller and powerfully built, with a bow strapped across his back. Though still appearing stern, his eyes shone with joy.
Li Xizhi, who usually carried himself with composed dignity, could not help but laugh thrice at such a joyous occasion. His face glowed warmly as he stroked his beard and said, "Duan'er, quickly open the side gates of Jiutian Pavilion. You stand at the main gate to receive guests, and let Junwei wait at the side gate."
He quickly composed himself again, though a smile lingered in his eyes, and said softly, "The Sect Master is coming, make sure he is not neglected."
The red-robed, white-clad youth was Li Xizhi's first disciple, Quan Yuduan. His round face betrayed his ancestry in the Quan Family, a distant relative of Quan Yi. The man behind him was the second disciple, Zhao Junwei.
Quan Yi had been slain by Tuoba Chongyuan, leaving only an aged mother dependent on him. Li Xizhi had cared for her until her passing a few years prior. The old woman, unwilling to see the Quan Family decline, had written letters beyond the sect in her lifetime. To fulfill her last wish, Li Xizhi found surviving Quan relatives who had fallen into the life of mere rural landlords, and brought Quan Yuduan into the sect.
A year later, when Li Xizhi went to survey the Li Family's spirit jade veins in the Helin Mountain Range, he took in Zhao Junwei, the son of a hunter there, as his disciple. It had been over ten years since.
Quan Yuduan answered respectfully and hurried off, his steps swift as the wind. Even Zhao Junwei, who had cultivated for just over a decade, knew the significance of the Purple Mansion Realm. The two youngsters were giddy with excitement, laughter filling the tower.
Li Xizhi too chuckled softly.
In years past, Li Xizhi's own position had been somewhat awkward, making him wary of forming ties with other great families. Thus, both his disciples came from humble origins.
Quan Yuduan could still be considered a young master of a once-prosperous family. His ancestors were cultivators, and his innate ability was decent. Zhao Junwei, however, came from true poverty, with only average talent, but both were diligent, and Zhao Junwei's temperament was exceptional.
Si Yuanli has arrived... thought Li Xizhi.
He tapped the jade window lightly, saw those familiar streaks of light approaching in tandem, and quickly turned to leave the pavilion. Sure enough, Si Yuanli came forward with a delighted expression, laughing heartily as he congratulated, "A great joy indeed! Daoist Master Zhaojing's success is a model for us all... Your esteemed family's ascension to immortal family status is truly the greatest celebration in a hundred years!"
Li Xizhi replied with courtesy, but his gaze slipped past him and fell on the man behind, who also wore a broad smile. He thought, Tantai Jin!
This man had already been in the sect for ten years, and Li Xizhi was not unfamiliar with him. Rumor was that he was a disciple of a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator from the outer-sea, a junior once supported by Daoist Master Yuan Xiu, Si Boxiu...
Si Boxiu's lifespan was nearly spent, so this was clearly one of the arrangements he had made for after his passing. Li Xizhi returned each courtesy, and Si Yuanli laughed, "I have sent someone to the southern border to summon Yuanqin back. Yuanqin will surely be overjoyed for such a grand occasion for your esteemed family!"
1. This is the Dawn Rayfish. ☜